What Galleries Need to Know About SEO in 2024

Once limited to the province of specialized marketers, search engine optimization (SEO) has become critical for any business with a presence on the web. Art galleries are no exception (well, at least those with a website). And recently, SEO has changed significantly.

In the past year, Google has implemented a raft of updates to its algorithms and technical requirements, causing some drastic changes in the SEO sphere. According to a BBC report from May, some content-based websites have seen their search traffic crater by more than 90% since last September.

These recent updates have changed the type of content that Google prioritizes in search results, broadly favoring webpages that its algorithms deem “high-quality,” in addition to sponsored pages. For any art gallery that uses its website to bring in new visitors, these updates may pose significant risks to online traffic and the ability to reach new audiences.

“Collectively, these algorithmic changes have meant many website owners have had to critically examine their website’s content, layout, functionality, user experience, and wider digital marketing activity in order to maintain or improve their organic performance,” explained Gareth Hoyle, managing director of SEO reporting firm Coveragely. “Art galleries that rely upon organic traffic in order to drive traffic and revenue are of course exposed to the potential impact of Google updates in the same way any other comparable business is.”

Here, we’ll explain—with as little jargon as possible—what these SEO changes mean for galleries, and how website owners can make sure they’re not losing visibility, traffic, and visitor engagement.

First, what is SEO?

At its core, SEO is a strategic practice aimed at boosting the visibility of a website in search engine results. Essentially, it involves optimizing elements of your website so that Google and other search engines can easily understand and rank your site and its content.

When a user searches for topics relevant to a gallery and its artists, for instance, effective SEO ensures your website ranks as high as possible in search results. A higher ranking increases the likelihood of attracting more visitors, who could turn into new clients.

SEO can range from simple practices to intensive strategies involving SEO agencies and complex advertising campaigns. While not all galleries will need advanced SEO strategies, as Google has more than a 90% share of the search engine market, it’s essential to understand the recent changes.

What are the recent changes in SEO?

SEO is changing because Google is changing. Several times a year the company makes several updates to its search algorithms and systems that it calls “core updates,” which it says “are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers.”

Recent updates have placed “spam” and what the company deems “low-quality” content in its crosshairs. A core update in March targeted “sites and content that were created primarily to rank highly for search engines instead of people,” explained Hoyle. Another change in November last year was focused on “promoting high-quality content and improving search page results.”

As well as a slew of additional updates alongside the core changes, Google also announced its AI Overviews update in May that “incorporates the best, and most relevant, information from a variety of sources in Google’s index into a response provided at the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs),” said Hoyle. While links to sources can be found underneath these overviews, critics have said that it will lead to fewer clicks through traditional search results. Google has said that it plans to integrate sponsored content and advertisers into these features, too, which have the potential to make things even harder for organic search results.

What do galleries need to know about SEO changes?

While none of the recent changes from Google are specifically designed to impact gallery websites, there are several ways that they might experience a decline—or even an increase—in web traffic.

“As a gallery, part of our job is to promote the gallery itself, our upcoming exhibitions and, of course, the artists we represent,” said Josh Sandhu of London’s Grove Gallery. While he says that the gallery’s marketing department is always “on the ball” with Google’s best practices, he notes that recent updates have increased the volatility of where web pages are ranking—both positively and negatively: “It’s highlighted where we need to be more relevant in the content we push out.”

Experts point to three main ways that galleries may be affected by the recent updates:

• Low-quality content: Several of Google’s recent updates have been aimed at demoting “low-quality” content, the definition of which is “extremely complex to explain concisely,” noted Hoyle. The company did offer some indications in a recent blog post, where it pointed to content that is unoriginal, “unhelpful,” “have a poor user experience,” and “feel like they were created for search engines” as examples.
• Images: Recent updates have placed an increased emphasis on authoritative, optimized, and relevant imagery. “High-quality images are essential for art business websites, and otherwise can negatively impact your SEO if not properly optimized,” said Hollie Cranfield, SEO consultant for digital marketing agency Add People.
• Locality: Google is increasingly focused on user location and local search when prioritizing results. The AI Overviews update, for example, includes local search features such as local business carousels. “These kinds of queries are often vital for attracting potential visitors to a gallery, so any decline is likely to have a real-world business impact,” said Hoyle. This makes Google Business Profiles (GBPs) “more important than ever,” added Cranfield.

What are the steps galleries can take to address changes to SEO?

Galleries that use SEO tools to drive new business and traffic have likely already made some strategic changes in response to the recent Google developments.

London’s Maddox Gallery has adapted its digital strategy to meet Google’s new AI advancements and emphasis on quality, authoritative content. “While this initially disrupted our established practices, it has meant we have a much deeper understanding of the user experience and have become adept at creating high-quality content,” said a Maddox spokesperson.

For galleries that have noticed a recent decline in search traffic, or those who are aiming to increase their search traffic through search, experts and galleries offer the three tips to make sure your SEO hygiene is up to scratch.

1. Focus on the keywords most relevant to your gallery

Keywords are the nuts and bolts of SEO. These are phrases entered into a search engine that drive visitors to a website, such as “Andy Warhol prints for sale.” Keywords define the topics of your content and are the primary source of organic web traffic from search engines.

SEO best practice involves finding the keywords that are most relevant to your gallery and creating original content that matches them. When searching for keywords, be sure to:

• Use tools such as Google Search Console to identify the most effective keywords on your site, and go through your website to add them to title tags (webpage titles used by search engines and browsers), including images. “This will tell Google how to file your web pages,” said Hoyle, who notes not to add them everywhere: “Google will be able to figure out whether it’s relevant or not and it will negatively impact your websites’ SEO if they aren’t added properly.”
• Home in on the specific terms that most align with your gallery. “The more defined you can be, the better,” said Hoyle. “Try to be more specific and add your location and other information so you can ensure you’re targeting the right people and improving your SEO.”
• Create or update your GBP with the latest gallery information and events. With Google’s new emphasis on locality, this can “boost your chances of appearing in the local map pack, the top three listings with a map shown above organic search results,” said Cranfield. While these results will first direct visitors to Google Maps rather than your website, those who do convert to the website via this user journey will “likely be more informed and of higher quality,” she added.

2. Focus on your website’s user experience

Recent algorithm changes are rewarding websites that are fast-loading, with authoritative content and a good user experience.

“Searching for new ways to enhance the user experience should be your number-one priority,” said the Maddox Gallery spokesperson. “Whether it is by improving the functionality of your website or creating content that can be easily found, understood, and which is both educational and authoritative, you need to be creative to break through the online noise.”

Following the recent Google updates, Maddox “overhauled” its site to be more “contextually rich,” which entailed rewriting a “significant portion” of its content to make it more authoritative. After an initial dip in search rankings during this transition period, these updates have since borne fruit. “This temporary setback occurred because search engines need time to reindex and reassess our updated content,” said the spokesperson. “However, this effort ultimately led to improved search rankings, a more engaging user experience, and a more robust digital presence as our content better aligned with users’ search intents.”

To take some initial steps to boost user experience, consider:

• Making sure your gallery website is mobile-friendly, quick-loading, and contains as much information as possible, including artist bios, social media links, and artwork information.
• Looking at Google’s own best practices and quality standards guides to start thinking about how website content can be shaped.

3. Optimize images and metadata

As an art gallery, images are an important component of your website—even more so after the recent Google updates. Be sure to:

• Use web-friendly formats such as JPEG or PNG.
• Add keywords to your image file names and alt texts.
• Compress file sizes, without sacrificing quality, to reduce loading times.

“Well-optimized images improve loading speed, engage users more effectively, and boost your content’s visibility in search results,” said Cranfield. “Optimized images boost your site’s authority in search algorithms, and metrics have shown that top-performing text content includes three to five images.”

Will there be more changes to Google SEO algorithms?

Google is notoriously secretive about its algorithm and its changes. Many speculate that the recent integration of AI into search will provide the springboard for future changes in SEO. Many also expect Google to grow its focus on a more personalized approach to results, too. Still, the overriding focus on quality content and user experience is the most important thing for galleries to focus on if they are to be resilient down the line.

“There is no way to ‘future-proof’ your site against yet-to-be-announced algorithm updates other than to create a website experience which we know Google rewards at the moment: fast loading, with great content and a great user experience,” said Hoyle. “At the end of the day humans will always be the audience Google is looking to attract to its search results, so continuously trying to satisfy with an amazing site experience should help you maintain a strong organic presence now and into the future.”